Scientists have warned deadly H5 bird flu could cause “carnage” for Australia’s seal and sea lion populations after detection of the virus in long-nosed fur seals in South Australia. SA confirmed Australia’s first case in a mainland mammal on Saturday after a dead long-nosed fur seal found at Beachport on the Limestone Coast tested positive for H5N1. The […]
Tag: fur seals
“Once they’ve caught their prey it may be shaken violently to ‘deglove’ and they then tear the carcass into pieces small enough to swallow”
With a huge reptile-like head, powerful jaws and a sleek, muscular body, the leopard seal is one of Antarctica’s most formidable apex predators. The third-largest seal species ranking behind elephant seals and walruses, these solitary hunters are capable of tackling penguins and even other seals and can swim at speeds of up to 25mph. What do leopard […]
Penguins and dolphins among nearly 400 Australian species under threat from bird flu as ‘true extent of disaster’ revealed
Almost 400 native Australian bird and mammal species have been assessed as being at a high risk – or worse – from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, a federal government assessment has revealed. Some of Australia’s most beloved animals – including species of penguins, fur seals, quolls, dolphins, more than 300 birds and the […]
Petition: Climate Change Pushed Emperor Penguins onto the Endangered Species List
For most of us, when we think of emperor penguins, we think of cute black-and-white birds on ice, waddling, sliding, and cuddling close to one another. They’re the largest species of penguins on Earth, living only in Antarctica. That means they’re reliant on the cold weather that the southern pole provides. Which also explains why […]
Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal declared Endangered
Emperor penguins and Antarctic fur seals are both now categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List previously categorised Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) as Near Threatened but satellite images suggest that around 10 per cent of the population (more than 20,000 adults) was lost between 2009 and 2018. The population is expected […]
‘There’s biological treasure here’: Chile’s endemic seals gain protection with new marine park
Six decades ago, pioneering oceanographer and conservationist Sylvia Earle made a bittersweet discovery while diving off Chile’s oceanic islands with the US National Science Foundation vessel, the Anton Bruun. She found the remains of a baby fur seal, one of the world’s most isolated aquatic mammals. Endemic to the Juan Fernández archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean, and […]
“As the great whites move in for the kill, the seals do something astonishing.”
In the waters off Robberg, South Africa, Cape fur seals benefit from powerful ocean currents that bring in plentiful amounts of fish. The Robberg Peninsula is home to thousands of this seal species, which is endemic to South Africa, who don’t need to swim out too far for a meal. However, the huge shoals of fish also […]
Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads
The gentoo penguin has become the first bird to test positive for the H5N1 bird flu on an Australian territory, with samples confirming the virus has spread on a sub-Antarctic island. The deadly and contagious strain of bird flu, which has already killed millions of seabirds, wild birds and poultry overseas, was confirmed in southern […]